If you’re buying your next car with the intention of towing it, it’s important to understand towing capacity and how it affects actual weight.
When selecting a car for towing then you need towing cost estimator, you must consider and factor in all weights, including not only the weight of the fully loaded car, but also any accessories installed. Of mats, car seat covers
and other small accessories? Each of them can weigh as little as 4 or 5 kilos individually, but together they can be 20 kilos or more.
Even if you swapped out the factory street and alloy wheels for steel wheels and off-road tires, they easily add another 20kg to the weight of the car. Don’t forget to include a full tank, passengers and luggage, and once a trailer is connected, the hitch weight is also measured as part of the vehicle weight. As you can see, there’s more to the towball: here’s a handy guide to calculating your towing capacity.
Calculation
Towing capacities are calculated based on a set of maximum weight limits. The three most important numbers to you are the gross vehicle mass (GVM), gross trailer mass (GTM) and gross towing vehicle mass (GCM). In short, the GCM must be less than the sum of the GVM and GTM combined. But when it comes to emergency towing eau claire wi, one plus one doesn’t always equal two…
The well known towing vehicles
HiLux has a maximum GCM of 5,650 kg, but his GVM is 3,000 kg and his declared GTM is 3,200 kg, making a total of 6,200 kg, 550 kg more than his GCM. Because the manufacturer calculates in its GVM with a full payload of 955kg As it weighs 550kg, it actually only has 405kg left before it hits its maximum towing capacity, which is roughly the weight of all your camping gear. But then there is not a kilo left over for additional accessories. Or even a carton of beer.
If you are purchasing a tow vehicle, check your GCM. Derive your GVM. Now subtract the weight of accessories and everything you are carrying and you have your GTM. For the HiLux: 5,650 kg minus 3,000 kg = 2,650 kg. If you don’t have anything bolted to your vehicle and aren’t transporting anything else, this is the maximum weight of your trailer, camper or caravan.
Small print
Don’t think that adding the numbers will fix everything. There are even more rules you need to know before you head out Requires its own electric brakes.
A car driver’s license only allows you to drive a vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of up to 4500kg, and when you buy a trailer that is too heavy for your car, the person or dealer selling it is essentially infringing breaking the law by selling it to you
Also remember that what you are towing must not be heavier than the maximum speed of your tow bar. Also, you can’t tow passengers in your RV, in case you’re wondering.
